Australia takes on West Indies in the third and final ODI in Canberra on Tuesday, February 6. The Aussies have already won the series by winning the first two games. They are now looking for a clean sweep. Australia won the first ODI by 8 wickets and the second by 83 runs. How they won the second ODI speaks a lot about the ability and the depth within the side.
From being 91/5 in the 17th over to posting 258/9 and then to bowl out the opposition for 175. Australia always has been a side who have punched above their weight and have had players who have taken the responsibility to get the job done for the team. In this match, it was Sean Abbott. He scored 69 off 63 balls batting at number eight and then took three wickets with the ball to win his side the game.
A few key players are unavailable for the third and final AUS vs WI ODI. They will be without Matthew Short who picked up a hamstring injury in the second ODI. They will also be without Josh Hazlewood who is rested from the third ODI and will return for the T20I series. Travis Head is also not available for the ODI series while Xavier Bartlett was ruled out of the 2nd ODI due to injury after bagging a 4-wicket haul in the 1st ODI.
Also Read: AUS vs WI Match Preview- 3rd ODI, 2024
Skipper Pat Cummins and senior pacer Mitchell Starc have been rested from the ODI and the T20I series. Thus the seam bowling attack is pretty inexperienced with Will Sutherland having made his ODI debut in the last game. Leggie Adam Zampa thus becomes a key bowler with Cameron Green also needing to roll his arm over in the final ODI. With Hazlewood out, Lance Morris is expected to return in the playing XI. In this article, we pick Australia’s playing XI the final ODI against West Indies in Canberra.
Australia Playing 11 vs West Indies, 3rd ODI, 2024
Jake Fraser-McGurk
He made his ODI debut in the second ODI against West Indies and scored just 10. He will get another chance to impress in the final ODI. He is a product of U-19 cricket and plays for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL.
Josh Inglis (WK)
Inglis opened in the last game and is expected to open in the final ODI as well. He scored nine and had an opportunity to score big in the second ODI.
Cameron Green
Green batted at three in the last game and scored 33. There is an opportunity for him to be pushed to the top of the order as well bringing Inglis in the middle-order.
Steve Smith (C)
Smith is leading Australia in Pat Cummins’s absence. He scored an unbeaten 79 in the first ODI and just five in the second. He is approaching 6000 ODI runs.
Marnus Labuschagne
Labuschagne will bat at five. He has been a constant member of the Australia ODI side since the World Cup. He did not get his chance in the first ODI but scored a crucial 26 in the second ODI.
Ben McDermott
McDermott will replace Matthew Short in the XI in the third ODI as the latter was ruled out with an injury. The right-handed batter will return to the ODI team after April 2022 after playing against Pakistan.
Aaron Hardie
Hardie the all-rounder will slot in at seven. He too scored a crucial 26 and picked up 1/27 in the second ODI. The 25-year-old has played just three ODIs and six T20Is for Australia so far.
Sean Abbott
Abbott will slot in at eight. He scored 69 off 63 balls in the second ODI and picked up three wickets with the ball. He has picked up 27 wickets in 20 ODIs and scored two fifties in the format.
Will Sutherland
In the absence of Hazlewood, Sutherland will lead the pace attack. He made his ODI debut in the second ODI and is a product of BBL cricket for Australia. He has played U19 cricket for Australia as well.
Adam Zampa
Zampa will be the specialist spinner. Ge took 1/31 in 9.1 overs in the second ODI against West Indies. The next ODI will be his 99th for Australia. He has taken 167 wickets in the format.
Lance Morris
Morris concludes Australia’s likely XI for the third ODI against West Indies. He will replace Josh Hazlewood in the XI. He made his ODI debut in the first game against West Indies.
Also Read: Matthew Short to miss AUS vs WI 3rd ODI, Ben McDermott chipped in as replacement
